Hill Climbers: Staffer Seeks Voice for the Voiceless

Nadir Vissanjy came to the Hill to help make sure other immigrants could have the same opportunities he did. He is now legislative correspondent in Rep. Mike Hondas office.

Vissanjy was recently accepted to Harvard University, where he will start in the fall on his master’s of public policy. He said it will be hard to leave Washington and Honda’s office, but he said he will take what he learned on Capitol Hill with him in the future to help work on issues facing the immigrant and working class communities.

“It really does break my heart [to leave] because this is an amazing office, and the past year and a half I’ve had just a really wonderful experience,” Vissanjy said. “I think what I want to do is take my experience that I’ve gained here from the past two years and take the experience from the next two years [at Harvard] and move back to California and really try to build on a lot of the work that the Congressman did here, out there [in California]: build coalitions with unrepresented people, build coalitions with people with diverse views and really bring different people together to champion progressive legislation, which helps the working class, helps the immigrant population, helps the voiceless. That’s ultimately my goal.”

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March 13, 2015

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., right, hugs Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, after the Congressman spoke at the IAFF's Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, March 9, 2015. The day featured addresses by members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden.